In Sunday’s readings we continue to read from Mark’s Gospel, learning more about the ministry of Jesus. Jesus cured Simon’s mother-in-law, and she immediately began to serve Jesus and his disciples. Jesus also cured many others who were brought to him, healing their illnesses and driving out demons. As we will see throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus did not permit the demons to speak because they knew his identity and would have revealed it to those who were present.

On the morning after this busy day, Jesus retreated in prayer, but was pursued by Simon and others who brought news that many people were looking for him. At this point in Mark’s Gospel, we begin to see a distinct role for the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples—they act as intermediaries between Jesus and the people. Jesus reports to his disciples that they need to leave Capernaum to preach in other places.

Sunday’s Gospel completes a picture of Jesus’ ministry: preaching, curing the sick, driving out demons, and then moving on to continue this work in another place. Mark's Gospel tells us that Jesus did this throughout Galilee.

Jesus’ compassion and healing of the sick is a sign of the Kingdom of God. The Church continues to extend Christ’s healing presence to others in its ministry to the sick. In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, the Church prays for spiritual and physical healing, forgiveness of sins, and comfort for those who are suffering from illness.

In Sunday’s Gospel we also notice the importance of prayer in Jesus’ daily life. Jesus rose early in the morning, removed himself from the crowds, and went to a deserted place to pray. When the disciples found him, he told them that it was time to move on. We believe that in his prayers Jesus found guidance and direction from God. We also bring our decision-making to God in prayer, asking for his guidance and direction in our lives.

Catholic Schools Week

This week we are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Tomorrow we will have our Catholic Schools Mass celebrated by Fr. Casimir along with students from the 8th grade assisting with the readings. Due to the pandemic, the rest of the school will join via Zoom.

Open House & Enrollment

On Monday we held two zoom informational sessions for prospective families for the next school year. Just a reminder to everyone, to assist with our school enrollment by spreading the word out in the community about the wonderful things our school has to offer.

Science Fair

Congratulations to all our students with their Science Fair projects. The Science Fair was conducted differently this year, and everyone performed well. Thanks to Mr. Nicolas for coordinating the Science Fair along with judges from Skyline College. Mr. Nicolas has listed the top place winners here in the newsletter.

STAR

During the week we have been conducting the third STAR testing assessment. These assessments assist teachers with planning for student growth.

WCEA

Next week I will be away chairing a WCEA accreditation for a school in San Jose. It is always a great experience to see how other schools operate, especially during the pandemic.

In-Person Student Intake

The next intake to Hybrid Learning will be on March 1st. If you wish your child to return to school, you need to email me (principal@ssfallsoulsschool.org) by Wednesday, February 24th. In the event classes go over the maximum numbers we will need to implement the cohort model.

COVID Testing

The next COVID testing will be on Monday March 1st between 10am – 5pm. Please sign up by Wednesday February 24th. Click here to sign up.

Lower Yard Unavailable

Next Monday the lower yard will not be in use from 7am to 6pm due to the replacement of the basketball pole. The cost for this replacement is $8,000.

Monday Drop-Off

Due to the replacement of the basketball pole in the lower yard, we will not be able to use the lower yard for drop-off. Therefore we will modify drop-off for Monday only.

• Grades 5-8 will be dropped off on Miller Ave in front of the Church
• Grades K-4 will be dropped off on the upper yard.
• Students will have temperature checks as they enter the school building.

Confirmation and Communion Documentation

We would ask everyone that you adhere to the deadlines for documentation. Children will not receive the sacrament if the documents are not in order.

Re-Enrollment Process

The new school year registration process will begin in March. To assist families, we will not be raising the Re-Enrollment fee of $325 per child. Please be mindful when completing the Re-Enrollment process that you will be required to pay the fee then, otherwise you will incur a late fee. There will be a slight increase in tuition for the next school year.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

Hi Everyone,

The All Souls Catholic School Science Fair took on a virtual look this year with student projects being completed using Google Docs and Google Classroom. Instead of having all 102 projects displayed in the cafeteria, you can now find them all in our Distance Learning Hub. With all of the challenges with gathering materials and finding time to complete experiments during a pandemic, the students created some very insightful projects.

The All Souls Science Fair has always been a way for students to explore the "why" and "how" things work. Whether it is creating a better Sourdough starter, making a robotic arm using everyday items, finding out which lights would help a plant grow better, or showing how viruses spread.

Please join me in recognizing the following students whose projects were selected as the top in each of their own classes.

Some of these projects will move on to represent our school in the San Mateo County STEM fair. Other student projects will be selected to be showcased in the Mercy Burlingame-Girls in Science event.

5th Grade

Judge's Pick-Kenatoni Nau- Landslides and Facts About It

Judge's Pick-Lourdes Keegan-Why Does Fruit Turn Brown?

Judge's Pick-Jayden Cortez-The Effect of Adding Paper Tails to a Paper Airplane

6th Grade

1st Place- Aliyah Abunag- Which of the Most Commonly Used Masks are the Most Effective in Preventing the Spread of Germs

2nd Place-Demi Alfonso- How Much Baking Powder to Quick Breads Need?

3rd Place-Eva Mutoh- Can Different Plants Grow with Different Kinds of Light?

7th Grade

1st Place-Gabriel Barroso-The Speed of Light: Supercapacitor Energy

2nd Place-Elias Montes-Can Cell Phones and Other Items be Responsible for the Spreading of COVD-19?

3rd Place-Sofia Rapadas-Which Type of Cloth Mask is Most Effective in Preventing the Spread of Respiratory Droplets?

8th Grade

1st Place: Alan Alcantara-How Panel Orientation and Tilt Affect Solar Energy

2nd Place: Daniela Garrido-Swimming in Acid-Understanding Ocean Acidification

3rd Place: Natalie Forteza-Making Maple Syrup Candy-How Does Temperature Affect It?

To view all of the projects from our Junior High students, please go to the Distance Learning Hub:

https://sites.google.com/ssfallsoulsschool.org/dlhub/science-fair

Mr. Joel Nicolas

Junior High Science Teacher/7th Grade Homeroom Teacher

All Souls Catholic School

479 Miller Ave.

So.San Francisco, CA 94080

(650) 583-3562

Dear All Souls Families,

You can now pay and add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account through SchoolSpeak. Your payment will be processed through PayPal with a 3% convenience fee for all transactions.

Sign-in to your SchoolSpeak account and select "Lunch Order" in the quick links menu on the left. The "Pay" tab will direct you to your payment options. You may pay the cafeteria balance through your existing PayPal account or as a guest using your credit or debit card. You may also add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account. If you wish, you may still make cash or check payments to the school office.

Please note, for the families that have a credit card on file I will no longer be charging your credit card for lunch payments. You are responsible for paying and adding credit to your cafeteria account.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Regards,

Ms. Escobar

1-12 - STAR Testing

8 - Archdiocesan Staff Development Mtg. - 12:20 Dismissal

15 - President's Day - Holiday

16 - School Assembly - 2:30pm

16 - School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm - Zoom

17 - Ash Wednesday Mass

17-18 - Acre Testing (grades 5 and 8)

25 - First Communion Parent Mtg. - 7pm

Please check with all providers regarding current summer program dates, times,

and other important information.